On 25th-26th June 2018, CHEOPS invited all major EU-funded perovskite PV projects to the European Perovskite PV Days (EUPPVD) held at the University of Oxford. During two unusually sunny days at the British Oxfordshire, delegates from across Europe came together for intense discussions in the new Beecroft Building at the Department of Physics. On the agenda were pressing issues facing the European perovskite PV community. Time was therefore precious and expectations were high for this first-time event.​

To introduce delegates to each other and create a knowledge base for later discussions, each project representative initially got a quarter of an hour to present their project, its main objectives and research results. The short presentations supported the expectation, that most projects are currently working complimentary to enhance the technological readiness of perovskites and as such, stronger collaboration could be the key to unlock further advancement.

Following the round of project presentations, the debate was opened on the three main themes: 1. Stability and Characterisation 2. Environmental Issues and 3. Maximise Impact of Research. To keep sessions dynamic, they were moderated by the former Director-General at CERN Professor Sir Christopher Llewellyn Smith and Professor Henry Snaith from the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford. Discussions also featured qualified input provided by the guest speakers Prof. Monica Lira-Cantu from the COST Action StableNextSol and Andreas Wade from PVthin.

During the debates – both in and out of session - researchers got the opportunity to take the pulse on European Perovskite PV research and exchanged knowledge with their fellow colleagues on a number of important topics such as how to develop modules with longer life time and cells with higher efficiencies. However, debates also addressed broader topics such as how to increase yields of manufacturing processes or how to best communicate on the environmental impact of perovskite technology.

​STABILITY & CHARACTERISATIONWhat do we consider stable? What do we need to deliver when we claim to have attained certain stability? How to we categorise stability in devices in general?ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUESHow do we handle toxicity in devices? What are the best strategies to deal with recycling and environmental risks in perovskite production? How do we communicate?MAXIMISING IMPACTHow do we maximise impact of our projects? Where are the limits and constrains for industrial up-scaling?

The European Perovskite PV Days 2018 were organised by accelopment AG in close collaboration with the University of Oxford. The event was part of the CHEOPS project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 653296.

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